Daayiee Abdullah | |
|---|---|
 Abdullah in 2005 | |
| Born | Sidney Thompson (1954-01-11)January 11, 1954[1] Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Died | August 3, 2025(2025-08-03) (aged 71) |
| Education | Georgetown University (BSLA) University of Michigan (MA) University of the District of Columbia (JD) |
| Occupation | Imam |
Daayiee Abdullah (January 11, 1954 – August 3, 2025;Arabic:داعية عبد الله,[3] bornSidney Thompson)[4][5] was an AmericanImam based inWashington, D.C.[4][6][7] Abdullah was, after the 2025 death ofMuhsin Hendricks until his own death in August 2025, one of five livingopenly gay Imams in the world (the others beingLudovic-Mohamed Zahed of France,Mullah Taha of Iran,El-Farouk Khaki of Toronto's el-Tawhid Juma Circle/The Unity Mosque, andNur Warsame ofAustralia).[8][9][10][11] Abdullah was a member of and spiritual advisor of theAl-Fatiha Foundation until it closed in 2011.[12] As a Muslim leader, Abdullah's homosexuality caused controversy due to the traditionally upheld beliefs abouthomosexuality in Islam.[6]
Abdullah was born in 1954 as Sidney Thompson inDetroit,Michigan.[5][13][14] He wasAfrican American. His parents supported him, his six older brothers, his younger sister, and his oldest step-sister from his father's first marriage to find religion despite his parents'Southern Baptist beliefs.[7][14] When he was 8 years old, he visited asynagogue, aHindu temple, and an assortment ofChristian denominations.[14] None of these religions he had explored fit him exactly, so he continued to search for a religion he could put his faith into. He converted to Islam at age 30.[14]When Abdullah was 15, he graduated from high school early because he had gone to summer school most summers.[14] Along with summer school, he and his family travelled aroundNorth America so that he could see what the world was truly like.[14] His parents believed that once a member of the family had graduated high school, he was an adult.[14] Knowing this, Abdullahcame out to his parents, and was accepted after assuring his parents that they had "done nothing wrong."[14] Abdullah has said that he knew he was attracted to other boys at the age of five.[14] His parents, now both deceased, were a source of inspiration and confidence for him growing up.[14]
Abdullah was a Community Scholar atGeorgetown University studying Chinese[15] and graduated from theDavid A. Clarke School of Law in Washington, D.C. in 1995 as ajuris doctor.[5] He attended theGraduate School of Islamic Social Sciences inAshburn, Virginia from 2000 to 2003, but was expelled when the school discovered he was gay.[16]
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In 1978, Abdullah went toWashington D.C. for a conference because he was working for GovernorJerry Brown's office in San Francisco.[14] In 1979, he returned to D.C. as a coordinator for the National March on Washington forLesbian and Gay Rights.[14] Because he was a coordinator, he went a week early and then stayed a week later for his vacation only to return a month later.[14] After two weeks inSan Francisco, he decided that he wanted to live in D.C.[14]
In the 1980s, Abdullah began his tenure at Georgetown University and spent several years at Beijing University and Taiwan National UniversityBeijing University.[14] He studied the Chinese language and literature, and later Arabic, Arabic Linguistics, North African, andMiddle Eastern Studies, and several years working and studying in Muslim countries.[12][14] Some of his classmates were Chinese Muslims fromÜrümqi,[14] who invited him to aBeijing Mosque, the first mosque he had visited.[12][14] Following that experience, at age 30, he became a Muslim and adopted the Islamic name Daayiee Abdullah. He didn't add on the titleImam until later.[14] Abdullah would go on to study Islam in Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Syria.[17]
He was the business manager at Georgetown Fitness Center from 2007 to 2009. Abdullah, under his legal name Sidney Thompson, was the CEO of Asiad & Associates, a software company in Washington, D.C.
Around 2000, he joined the onlineYahoo! groupMuslim Gay Men.[14] On this forum, there were many who were gay, but were intent on telling those who were seeking help that the Qur'an forbids homosexuality.[14] Abdullah refuted these comments by explaining that one is to follow theQur'an first and theHaddith second.[14][how?] Through this, he began to gain popularity among homosexuals and allies across the online community.[14]
He began being called Imam after performing ceremonies for people who were considered pariahs in their community due to illnesses or the gender or religion of the person they wished to marry.[14] For example, Abdullah has performedJanazah for gay Muslims who have died fromAIDS-related complications.[14]
Abdullah also performedsame-sex marriages for men and women and counseling for all couples—heterosexual and homosexual.[14] He has also married religiously differing couples who are from theAbrahamic faith.[12][14] Because the Abrahamic faiths are sister religions, and because the Qu'ran says that Abrahamic believers can interact with other Abrahamic believers, Abdullah believed that it is plausible to marry between Abrahamic religions.[14] In 2015, Abdullah reported having officiated 65 marriages.[17]
Since 2000, Abdullah has provided specialized counseling services for Muslims from a wide spectrum of Muslim religious and cultural backgrounds.[12]
Abdullah was Director of LGBT Outreach at Muslims for Progressive Values from 2010 until 2014 and remained on the advisory board ofMuslims for Progressive Values.[12] He also held a position inOslo, Norway at Skeiv Verden ("Gay World").[12][18]
Abdullah was a board member of the round table of theAl-Fatiha Foundation for several years.[12] From 2011 to 2012, he served as part of the Queer Muslim Working Group, which evolved into theMuslim Alliance for Sexual and Gender Diversity in 2013.[19] Abdullah also has served on the planning team for the LGBT Muslim Retreat[20] since 2011.
Abdullah created anLGBT-friendlymasjid in Washington D.C in 2011, called Masjid Nur Al-Isslaah (English: "Mosque for Enlightenment and Reformation" or "Light of Reform Mosque"), of which he was the imam and religious director.[21][22][23] The mosque was initially hosted by a public library in D.C.,[24] with a plan to raise funds to create a purpose-built mosque of their own.[24]
In 2015, Abdullah founded the Mecca Institute, a self-described "inclusive and progressive online Islamic seminary," in Washington D.C.[21][25]
In 2006, Abdullah was in a long-term relationship of ten years. His partner was Christian, which is one of the reasons he performed religious ceremonies between Abrahamic religions.[14]
As of 2015, Abdullah was declared single, claiming that the pressure on his closeted partner was too much for the relationship.[26]
On March 5, 2021, Abdullah published the book “Progressive Islam: The Rich Liberal Ideas of the Muslim Faith.” The book focuses on liberal ideas of the Muslim faith, such as freedom, cooperation, responsibility, and opportunity throughout its five sections, which cover theQur’an, the ProphetMuhammad, diverse perspectives on Islam, and a short autobiography of Abdullah himself.[27][28]
